Q & AAsia-Pacific

Australia’s Arms Export Strategy Goes Beyond Selling Weapons

Australia’s Arms Export Strategy Goes Beyond Selling Weapons
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe stand in front of an Australian-built Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicle, Funabashi, Japan, Jan. 18, 2018 (AP photo by Eugene Hoshiko).

Editor’s Note: This article is part of an ongoing series about the production and trade of arms around the world.

In late January, Australia’s prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, unveiled a plan to make his country one of the world’s top 10 arms exporters. Currently, Australia exports about $1.5 billion to $2.5 billion in defense equipment annually, a figure that Turnbull said his government is seeking to increase significantly in the coming decade. In an email interview, Greg Colton, a research fellow in the International Security Program at the Lowy Institute in Sydney, explains what is behind the government’s strategy and what it really entails.

WPR: What is driving the Turnbull government’s plan to drastically expand Australia’s arms exports industry?

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